Chương 127: Solution.

Orochimaru had searched around for this exact question for nearly a decade now with no result or an answer as to why he had to keep changing the bodies he occupied. According to him his research was perfect. He did several tests while learning the Impure World Reincarnation technique and went through Tobirama Senju's notes regarding the soul he'd borrowed from Tsunade to reach his conclusions. But now someone was telling him the world didn't work the way he'd tested it did?

And somehow they were right and he was wrong? So out of a burning sense of curiosity, Orochimaru asked Kakashi a question, "Where did you get this information?" After all, if Kakashi said he had researched it he wouldn't be able to believe it, since Kakashi clearly did not have a penchant for research or any expensive super secretive research bases like him.

If he did he would also need experimental subjects which would've been very troublesome to obtain without Danzo's help and Kakashi was not in Danzo's party so it would be a clear and blatant lie. Kakashi seemingly pondered for a moment, as if wondering if he should reveal this information to Orochimaru before speaking in a slightly hesitant tone, "I don't know if you'll believe me… but I obtained this information from the Shingami itself." Orochimaru's pupils instantly narrowed to pinpricks.

'The Shinigami? The famed reaper death seal that Sensei learnt?' Orochimaru had never seen that jutsu in person so he wouldn't particularly recognise it even if it was performed in front of him. But he had heard of it as a legendary jutsu that the top level members of the Uzumaki clan knew how to use. He decided that he would have to look more into this to understand what Kakashi had done. Before then, he looked at Kakashi and spoke rather interestedly, "Does it require a summoning scroll?

Can I sign my name on it?"

"Well… believe it or not, mine was only a one time opportunity to meet the shinigami before it disappeared for good. I don't know how to summon it again." Kakashi lied through his teeth, mixing lies and truths to keep himself alive.

"I see." Orochimaru nodded before asking Kakashi the more important question, "Is there no way to reverse this process?"

"If you're talking about reversing your cursed seal marks and joining your soul pieces to fix up your container you're wrong, that'll do nothing, the cracks will still exist and your energies will still spill out of your body. But there is a way to partially fix this, or rather at least put you in a better condition but with the same problems still."

"Oh? You seem reluctant to explain this method to me?" Orochimaru immediately noticed. Kakashi appeared hesitant for a second and the clone truly was hesitant at this moment because he was wondering if revealing this method would empower Orochimaru and make him a bigger enemy for the village everyone was currently striving to protect or if it would simply set him on his path for immortality without a care in the world about anyone else. This book is hosted on another platform.

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'There's no way to get an oath from Orochimaru that he'll never harm the village again if I help him with this… and I've already asked for a price regarding what I want so it's too late to back out.'

'Well I can still break this cooperation but I'll never be able to talk to him again and Kakashi will possibly be in grave danger… he froze in the Chunin exams against Orochimaru when Orochimaru released his killing intent so he's definitely weaker than him.'

'So I'm basically locked in at this point…'

'Should've asked the original what he thought… we should really develop real time communication jutsu or a seal or something like a mobile phone to discuss our plans in cases like these…'

'Welp that's for another me to decide… now let's focus on the task at hand…' Kakashi nodded, "I'm a bit hesitant indeed… but I won't ask for anything else since I know Orochimaru-sama is more interested in research and not mindlessly killing fellow shinobi of the leaf village…" Orochimaru lifted his brows in questioning at how Kakashi arrived at that strange conclusion but said nothing for now and let Kakashi continue.

"... the way to fix this is simple but also difficult, the way is to find a sacrifice of a soul container that nearly matches yours and steal it from that person… of course, if the potential of that person does not match yours you'll end up suppressing your shinobi potential since your soul will take a different shape than what it previously contained, leading to rejection issues."

"How long will my body last with that method?" Orochimaru fired away immediately.

"About sixty years give or take a few years… and it will also allow you to recover some of the energies you lost if the potential of the soul container is greater than your own." Orochimaru sighed with clear worry, "It is not easy to find people with even as much potential as me… you should know that."

"Well… I might have a solution for that too…which is why it's a little difficult."

"Oh?" Orochimaru couldn't help but raise his brows once again in surprise.

"Well… if you can edo tensei one of the previous Kage… and seal them somehow… and bring them back here… I could help you steal their soul container." Orochimaru's eyes widened at the radical method, he also suddenly realised why Kakashi didn't want to harm the fellow shinobi of Konoha, it would be a desecration of history if he were to say reincarnate Hashirama and steal his soul core… would he be able to steal it? That was a different question though.

"That's a… bold idea…" Orochimaru finally said.

"Well… you know… I'm sure you can kill a Kage or at least seal them with enough preparation… so I'm sure you can handle it." Kakashi shrugged. In the show people like the Third Raikage fought the tailed beasts to a stand still… and if one kage could do it, there was a certain surety that the other kage could too. So if Orochimaru could get one of their bodies and then seal them so they couldn't move, Haruto's clone was sure he could perform a surgery that Orochimaru could be happy with.

"Alright… I'll see what I can do…"

"Are you still going to steal Itachi Uchiha's body?" the clone asked slightly hesitantly.

"Ho!? Are you interested in him too Kakashi-kun?" Orochimaru asked, licking his lips. Kakashi almost screamed at the goosebumps that spawned on his entire body in spite of him being a clone but managed to control his expression and demeanour at the last second using Occlumency as Orochimaru continued.

"No I won't steal his body… but I will steal Itachi Uchiha… he's piqued my interest… his talents are wasted in Konoha…"

"I… see…" Kakashi said unsurely.

Haruto arrived back at his body and sank into it without a sound.

'Why hasn't my clone arrived yet?'

'Did something go wrong?'

'Did it get sealed somewhere in some trap?'

'But it could've simply popped and I would've regained all its memories…'

'Did it spot something troublesome and follow it?'

'Did a man in a van lure it away with candies saying can you eat deez nuts-' Suddenly Haruto got a few questionable memories. Almost instantly Haruto buried his head into his pillow face first and screamed into it.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

"What the hell!!!???"

"Who gave it the permission to go around making such deals with terrorists!?"

"And kill Kage level shinobi!? What's this ridiculous plan!? Couldn't he simply ask Orochimaru for time to research a better solution?!?"

"At least he got the Edo Tensei in exchange… Now I can summon Tobirama and ask him why he isn't giving me more jutsu from the accursed place he's stalking me from."